Speedy centre Foudy has size, skill, too
London Knight looks promising
During the weeks leading up to the NHL Entry Draft, we’re taking a look at players who might be selected by the Montreal Canadiens. The team has five selections in the first two rounds, including the No. 3 overall pick.
LIAM FOUDY, CENTRE
Height/weight: 6-foot-1,
183 pounds
NHL Central Scouting Rank: No. 19 among North American skaters
What the scouts are saying: Foudy started the season far down on the London Knights’ depth chart, but he took off in the second half after coach Dale Hunter decided to rebuild and traded NHL prospects Cliff Pu, Robert Thomas and Max Jones. Foudy’s strength is his speed and his ability to make plays at full speed. Scouts rate him as one of the best skaters in the draft. He has an accurate shot, but must work on his faceoffs and, like most of the players in the draft, he needs to add strength. He’ll benefit from another year as a leader in a junior program with a good track record of preparing players for the pros. He had 24 goals in 65 games with London and also had two goals and two assists in five games at the world under-18 championship.
Why the Canadiens would be interested: Trevor Timmins, the Canadiens’ director of player personnel, wasn’t tipping his hand when he was asked which players he liked at the draft combine last week in Buffalo, but he noted that hockey at the NHL level is a fast game and fast is the way Foudy plays. In addition to his speed, he has decent size and he is a centre.
Speed in his genes: It’s no surprise speed is one of Foudy’s prime assets because his parents achieved success running track and he was a champion hurdler in high school. His mother, Franco-Ontarian France Gareau, was 17 when she won a silver medal as part of Canada’s 4x100-metre relay team at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. His father, Sean Foudy, was a top university hurdler but he is best known for his six-year CFL career as a defensive back with the Ottawa Rough Riders and the B.C. Lions.